With the move towards a four-day work week gathering momentum, Dan Schawbel* has advice for organisations who want to make the transition as painless as possible.
One topic I’ve written about time and time again is the four-day work week — and for good reason.
Typically defined as a reduction in hours from 40 hours a week to 32 hours a week with no reduction in pay or employee output, it is seen as the path forward for most organisations.
I’ve found that most workers feel they could complete all of their tasks in less than eight hours a day and would prefer to work less than five days a week if their pay remained the same.
The leaders I’ve surveyed also agree that a shorter work week is both feasible for their business and better for their staff.
Despite this, organisations have been decidedly reluctant to adopt it.
Some companies fear that a reduction in working hours would result in less revenue.
There are also doubts about employees being able to complete all of their tasks within the shorter timeframe.
Workers have expressed concerns they might be forced to work at a more intense pace.
However, most experts agree the real reason is that the five-day week is simply considered the norm.
There’s a common misconception that 40 hours is the optimal amount of time that people should work, even though all the data says otherwise.
Here are some tips for a successful transition to a four-day work week.
Get buy-in at all levels of the organisation
An important first step is to obtain consent from everyone who will be affected by this shift.
Individual team members are almost certain to be on board, but what about leaders and managers?
After all, they’re the ones who will have to oversee the day-to-day practicalities of this shift, so it’s critical they understand the benefits of the new way of working.
It’s also essential that they’re given the tools and resources to make the transition go as smoothly as possible.
Assess feasibility
One of the biggest concerns for employees is that condensing their work into four days will actually increase their stress levels.
That’s why it’s crucial you carefully consider the feasibility of this approach and look at how employees are spending their time.
Pay special attention to where they might be losing time — for example, attending unnecessary meetings, dealing with tedious administrative tasks, or participating in too many required social activities.
Odds are your workers are spending a good chunk of time each week on activities that are non-critical.
Find ways to help your people work smarter
Once you’ve identified some of the areas where your employees may be losing time, the next step is to address these.
You might want to put new rules in place around who should be asked to attend certain meetings, or revisit the amount of time people are spending on non-critical activities.
It’s also a good idea to look into purchasing technology or AI tools that could make your employees’ lives easier.
Adjust policies to support the new schedule
The four-day work week means ensuring your staff can take off one full day per week.
With that in mind, you’ll likely need to adapt policies, procedures, and operations to align with the new way of working.
For example, you may need to prohibit people from scheduling meetings on Fridays, if that’s when most people have their day off.
Or you may need to communicate with clients that they’ll have limited access to you on certain days.
Along with many other workplace experts, I’m excited to see the four-day work week gathering new momentum.
However, only time will tell whether the broader world of work is ready to make this shift.
I know I’m not alone when I say I hope the shorter week becomes our new normal — and sooner rather than later.
It’s becoming more and more evident that this is what is best for employees and organisations alike.
* Dan Schawbel is a bestselling author and Managing Partner of Workplace Intelligence, a research and advisory firm helping HR adapt to trends, drive performance and prepare for the future.
This article is part of his Workplace Intelligence Weekly series.
